Dirty tricks in the PV industry ?

The other day, like many other industry people I received an unsigned, unsolicited email from an alleged inverter manufacturer.

The email contained a worrying story about the “catastrophic” failure of a competitors inverter, apparently the second in as many weeks.

It was poorly written, without evidence (although it did name one local solar company) and was generally a huge slander on a competitor without substantiation.

I have seen this type of work before; a few weeks ago a story posted on top ranking clean energy web site was perpetually commented on by a “troll”; a paid subversive who often poses as multiple people and hides behind a variety of names and domains so as to be untraceable.

In that case their agenda was consistent and clear: send a message that solar will burn down your house and makes no financial sense at all, based on the same series of spurious news articles. Motivation? Clearly to try and discredit solar PV. Driven by? people who are threatened by PV but want or need to remain anonymous.

I’m not saying this email was from a troll; but I replied out of genuine concern only to get a bounced reply which suspiciously contained a very long address including the word spam….

There is a certain inverter manufacturer out there who certainly has some explaining to do though, imho.

My glass is half full so I am buoyed by all this clumsy, ridiculous cloak and dagger stuff; If solar wasn’t a threat, they wouldn’t bother and being a threat means we are a serious competitive force – to someone. We are rocking conventional energy’s boat.

"I've got a feeling these guys will all be looking the other way, while a quiet revolution will take place , and a decade later they will wonder what happened"
Geoff Bragg, commenting on the NSW Energy Security meeting 2nd October 2013

Funniest thing I’ve heard this week

"I am XXXX from YYYY Solar, Miss KKK JJJ has left our company because of her personal affairs. And she will never do the solar business in the future. Hope I can give you the better service"
Email from a solar company to us this week who are trying to off-load excess inventory from Europe into Australia.

Fast PV Facts

"We can rely on facts, or we can accept the arguments peddled by blinkered opponents of renewable energy"
Kane Thornton, Clean Energy Coucnil